Your Association
Candidates for Election 2017 Take the Lead….Your Vote Does Count. Members set the course for the MEA by deciding the issues the Association supports and the ways to achieve success for every Maine student. Delegates are elected to speak for the 23,500 MEA members they represent on important issues. MEA candidates may publish a biographical sketch in the Maine Educator according to the Standing Rules. Candidates for the MEA Board of Directors and the NEA Representative Assembly (RA) appear on the following pages. At MEA’s 2017 RA on May 20-21 in South Portland, delegates will elect an NEA Director for Maine and a Trustee for Maine Public Employees Retirement System. Election information and forms are available online at www. maineea.org in the “Members Only” area under Elections. Certificates of election for local MEA RA delegates must be received by March 6. Questions about elections should be directed to the office of the Executive Director at 1-800-622-4418 ext. 2218 or email lheaney@maineea.org. MEA Board of Directors Candidates Robert “Bo” Zabierek – District A I am the current member of the MEA Board of Directors for District A and have been a Delegate at the MEA Representative Assemblies (RAs), in Portland for two terms and have served two terms as an at-large Delegate at the NEA Representative Assembly (NEA-RA); where I am a member of the CTE (Career and Technical Education) Caucus. I also serve on the MEA Government Relations Committee. I am also the Past President of the Southern Aroostook Vocational Educators’ (SAVE) Association. I feel that it’s important that CTE schools have a voice on the Board and that all facets of the Maine educational landscape be represented. I’m on SkillsUSA Maine’s Board of Directors. I’m also the current President of ACTE-Maine (Association of Career and Technical Educators-Maine). I work at the Region Two School of Applied Technology in Aroostook County, my wife Suzie and son James have taught Aroostook County students at Katahdin High School. I bring a fresh and unique perspective to the conversations and issues at the MEA and am asking for your vote for the position of District A Board member, I would be honored to continue to represent all Aroostook’s Teachers and ESPs in Augusta. Jesse Hargrove – District C Working with students and young educators continues to be the best career a person can have. It’s hard to believe that I’m on my 15th year of teaching, 8 as a Special Educator and 7 as a High School Social Studies teacher, currently at Hermon High School. I’m grateful for the support of my two brilliant sons, Aden and Rylan, and a creative, artistic wife, Ciara, the choral director
at Waterville Schools. My MEA career has evolved from MEA-RA delegate, to local positions as Treasurer and now President. I have also served as a delegate to the NEA-RA for the past 3 years. The past years as Director has introduced me to charismatic leaders and educators across the middle of Maine, from Dover-Foxcroft to Lincoln and places in between. Thank you for the support as I run for re-election. I love doing this work. Bob McCully – District K I am a veteran Mathematics teacher at Falmouth High School with substantial experience in member advocacy. I currently serve the FEA as Chief Negotiator, and have continually served as either Chief Negotiator or President. I have previously served on the MEA Board for ten years and am eligible for another term. I have been a delegate to both the MEA and NEA Representative Assemblies for years. I have served on many MEA committees (including Policy Review, Statewide Bargaining, and Resolutions), and I have served on the NEA Resolutions Committee. I have served on the Boards of ATOMIM and ATMNE (mathematics associations) and currently serve on a Board for the Cumberland County Teachers Federal Credit Union. I am very concerned about ongoing attacks on our profession, and the lack of respect being shown to education practitioners. Educators always look for ways to improve their practice, but we are being bombarded by mandates from individuals far removed from the reality of a public school classroom. It is imperative that the MEA continues to function as a union protecting its members’ interests, and also function as a professional association to serve our members, our students and our communities well. District L - no candidates Neil Greenberg – District P About 10 years ago, I decided to become active in my union (UMPSA), and, not being one who likes to sit back and watch others do the work, I jumped in with both feet. I applied for, and was accepted to the NEA’s Emerging Leaders Academy, and am now president of my statewide local. I currently represent District P (ACSUM, UMPSA, MPBN) on the MEA Board of Directors, am a delegate to both the MEA and NEA RA’s, and was chosen last year to be on the editorial board for the NEA’s peer reviewed journal, Thought and Action. Gary McGrane – District R After retiring from the Bureau of Labor Education, University of Maine I went to work for my Native American brothers and sisters of the Penobscot Nation. What I liked about my job(s) was not only working from a curriculum but working from experience. Working for BLE gave me the opportunity to share the experiences I had gained over the last forty years working in a union environment. The MEA and the NEA have made great strides in Standing Up for Students, and now we must not let the politically elite pull the rug out February 2017
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